Social networks like Twitter"can" be interesting places for people who have opposing views to debate and exchange views … or they can be just a bunch of haters. BUT … because I participate in the former, I do enjoy the back and forth with people who have good or better thoughts than me … or […]

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TechFriday advice for those of us who enjoy using virtual assistants like those from Google, Apple or Amazon: 1. Change the Default Password on Your Wi-Fi Router 2. Set the Voice Lock 3. Decide Whether You Want to Shop… »

With nearly all states offering concealed carry permit reciprocity with Ohio, I’m no longer going to renew my Florida CCW license. It seems like just a waste of money and bureaucratic duplication. Florida always… »

After working on both the condo guest bathroom and kitchen last year in Delray Beach, Florida, I’m hoping to work on the master bathroom when we vacation this year. Our renters have emailed just how pleased they are… »

The struggle continues for me to listen to music that isn’t 40+ years old; it is too easy to let my music taste to fall back into my “oldies” rut. I will keep reminding myself that this year’s plan is to try to… »

Impressive safety advancements in car safety as a crash near the end of the Daytona 500 wiped out 12 cars. All drivers were fine and red flagged race has Toyota cars leading strong Ford and Chevrolet Cup cars waiting… »

Like clockwork, it was time to either renew or cancel SiriusXM (again). I refuse to pay the month to month rate with them or the very few newspaper/magazine subscriptions I still use that does the same thing.… »

Another wonder day spent with the ones I love, and a little one who definitely returns the love; now that’s the way to enjoy a Valentine’s Day! Brenda and I headed to Katelyn and Drew’s in Perrysburg this past… »

Same photo with min aperture option and maximum. Note Bokek effect. On a recent trip, I happened to break my favorite pair of polarized sunglasses, so am using them as one last prop before tossing them in the trash… »

It may be a quirky Valentine’s Day gift, but Brenda tossed our alarm clock of 36+ years into the trash a couple months ago saying, “I don’t trust it anymore.” I was relatively happy to see it go since the… »

For those of us who grew up working on cars pre-Internet, the Haynes Manuals were one of the “go-to” sources on how to fix automobiles … or at least a particular brand and model of car. Last week John… »

Having worked on my family tree with Ancestry.com back in 2010 and then ignored returning 9 years later, it has been interesting to look into it again now that DNA testing has grown in popularity. My results came back a… »

There is probably a name for them, although I’m not sure what it is … but my nephew Aaron always seemed to me to be that guy who missed his era, particularly in music taste? Last week he commented that my… »

I enjoyed the warm sunshine and working on a few project on Encore this past week. It was a delayed trip due to a flight cancelation, but thankful my schedule is pretty flexible. It would have been nice to stay longer… »

The 2018 wireless phone Tax Foundation report came out in December 2018 and although we may have seen income tax rates drop, wireless phone plans continue to be ripe for the taxman’s pickings. It is shocking to… »

We often act as if we are so enlightened in the 21st century when it comes to political philosophy and an understanding as to what motivates human beings. Politicians, and in turn their dreamy-eyed followers, are once… »

The prediction that diesel fuels will rise (“double in price” – note the last minute of the interview) is bound to impact the price of goods. Everything is shipped using diesel fuel, be it on ships,… »

While chatting with my son Taylor over the weekend about the terrible news regarding the killing of a law enforcement officer in the county where he works (depressing), we discussed his career options again. His job is… »

Not much doubt about it … the New England Patriots are the the best team in the NFL and their team leader and QB Tom Brady is the best to have ever played the game (oh, how I hate admitting that). Nevertheless,… »

After watching a short YouTube video of the Coquina Clam emerging from the “swash zone” on a beach after a wave retreated, I thought a short animated gif would make a great winter filler post for the blog.… »

One never knows who you will offend and who you will connect with when posting on an open social network, but Friday I had an enjoyable back and forth with Troy from Missouri. He is a like-minded political… »

Ugh … still waiting for my results! One of my gifts for Christmas 2018 was an Ancestry.com DNA kit, so I quickly sent my sample in for genotyping … and from noting the delay, so did about a million others! I’m… »

In my workshop there is a spot on the wall behind dad’s small drill press and my router table for old tools. As mentioned before, I use Brenda’s dads’ dental tools regularly and have put a few of DadH’s… »

In an old spinnaker (sail) from our Thistle, I finally hauled out our larger than usual Christmas tree this past week. It was then that I realized I had neglected to archive the “Great Christmas Tree Disaster of… »

It seems there is no end to suffering in the rustbelt when it comes to legacy automotive companies like Packard. The deteriorating Detroit plant which has seen years of neglect saw one more nail pounded into its coffin… »

After finally removing my built-in radial arm saw from my workbench, I was able to rework the area attached to my workbench in order to fit my “somewhat new” 12” Hitachi Miter Saw. With this new sliding miter saw,… »

Oh do I miss seeing my little Annalyn, although we did have a FaceTime this week when Oma (Brenda) was up in Perrysburg babysitting before heading to the 2019 Geico U.S. Figure Skating Championships with Katelyn. They… »

As more and more federal employees decide they aren’t going to continue to work without a paycheck, the focus has shifted to the unpaid in the Coast Guard, TSA and Air Traffic Control. Air travel has now moved… »

It won’t be long before virtual assistants end up in our car … question is, which one will it be? (from what I’m seeing as of 2019, it would be Amazon’s Alexa). Currently Amazon has definitely taken the lead in… »

Today would have been my dad‘s 90th birthday. Here is something he would have enjoyed… With it being so cold this week, it was a good time to be working in the basement workshop in the evenings. Besides… »

A filler post, but not a good photo for those nervous about swimming in the ocean. The photos last week from a couple of freedivers in Hawaii swimming with a massive Great White Shark known as #DeepBlue really has me… »

Am I the only one who contemplates the minutest things … or am I normal? This COLD morning I thought, “Hm, this is the last of my deodorant and it’s really cold … perhaps I can get away with a single swipe and… »

It has been a morning of computer server problems after updating Certbot on one of my Linux servers in order to keep the Let’s Encrypt certificates updating properly (the email warning below). For customers on… »

While contemplating both a Music Monday and a Martin Luther King Jr. reflective post for this U.S. National Federal Holiday, I thought about Dr. King’s 1963 I Have A Dream speech‘s reference to the African… »

A quick piece of advice for those who are in the habit of shopping online … especially if you are used to using Amazon and their Prime shipping. I’ve habitually price products since Amazon isn’t always… »

Brenda and I often reminisce with later-in-life retrospection as to our life vs work balance and decisions we made when having careers and a family. We have concluded, in hindsight of course, that it could not have been… »

The recent price increases rumbling through the economy are starting to be felt in the products we all use and have learned to appreciate. One of the services I’ll likely eliminate before the monthly price increase is… »

One of my favorite YouTube channels is Engineering Explained and in this video car guru and mechanical engineer Jason Fenske explains just how BMW used water injection to increase power at full throttle and high… »

Although we hear (or at least I read) about cyber attacks to the U.S. electrical grid and utilities on a regular basis … but I’m not sure we take these events seriously enough? I’ve blogged on this ever since… »

With a “heavy snowfall” that amounted to about 10 inches before melting a bit, I was thankful to have put the snow blower on the tractor last week. It was about the wettest snow I’ve ever tried to blow and… »

If there is one thing that will keep me blogging and archiving, it will be my granddaughter Annalyn; I can’t help myself in smiling and grinning when receiving a video of her singing “Baby Shark doo doo doo… »

With incentives, South Dakota and Minnesota compete for tiny trū Shrimp and its promise of indoor shrimp farms. A company named trū Shrimp Co. had planned to break ground this spring in Luverne, Minn., on a $330… »

The Raspberry Pi Cam photo automatically captured the backyard snow during a break in the falling snowflakes. The storm was well forecasted, so decided it was time to put the snowblower on the old John Deere 330 diesel… »

There is one thing that is consistent in Washington DC … politicians and bureaucrats love spending other people’s money. It doesn’t matter whether they are a Democrats or a Republicans … socialists or… »

The Amazon Echo in Kitchen/Great Room and the new Echo Dot 3rd Gen in my workshop Not a day goes by without Amazon’s Echo devices doing something for us in our home … and it is only a matter of time before “she”… »

While reading a few interesting older blog posts at Consumer Guide, my Twitter friend Tom Appel (@Car_Guy_Tom) post got me thinking about the strange company that seemed to be trying to revitalize the Packard car brand.… »